Is this a competitor for military wear - anyone know?
Nomex is an inherent FR fabric. Yes, it is likely a competitor for the FRACU program. As mentioned in a post a couple of days ago, Nomex, which is a meta-aramid, has been used in Drifire’s Fortrex FRACU offering and is likely also the meta-aramid used in Milliken’s Res-Q FRACU fabric blend.
As also mentioned in the same post, the US military has been seeking a FRACU which is more durable and comfortable, costs less and is non-toxic.
Although inherent FR solutions such as Nomex are effective for flame resistance, they are expensive. Petra Capital estimated the cost of the incumbent Tencate Defender M fabric at $26 per sq yard whereas Alexiflam treated NyCo, by Petra’s estimate, would cost roughly half that.
The inherent FR fabrics are also less durable than NyCo. Currently, roughly twelve FRACU uniforms made from Defender M fabric are required per soldier per year (1.5 million uniforms per year for 130,000 personnel) whereas the average soldier goes through just four NyCo uniforms (9 million uniforms per year for 2.2 million personnel).
Doubtlessly, the FRACU fabrics that Milliken and Drifire have developed in the last couple of years have improved in weight, comfort and durability compared with the Tencate Defender M fabric, but I doubt that they would outperform Alexiflam treated NyCo in these respects and I am certain that they are a much more expensive option than Alexiflam treated NyCo.
AJX Price at posting:
11.0¢ Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
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